This concert at Stanford's Memorial Church I attended this past January was the first one since I started my new job. Falling on a weekday, I made an effort to leave work a tad early. Still, I ended up short and missed out on the first two pieces. By the time I sat down, John had started to play the Frescobaldi canzonas.

John is a Bay Area gamba player, and like Elaine, also teaches lessons at Stanford. He studied with Wieland Kuijken in the Netherlands and is supposedly the first American to receive a diploma in the viola da gamba. John spent some time in Europe playing with some of the famous and respected early music ensembles, so as a performer, he's definitely earned his credentials. John forms quick and strong opinions on music performances and is not afraid to express them. As an audience, it is always interesting to hear his perspective on things. I'm not sure my heart or pride would hold up if I was on the performing end.

Frescobaldi's canzonas are typical of early Baroque instrumental works. With Frescobaldi, he takes things further with more pronounced contrasts between sections. John's performances does Frescobaldi justice with some passionate playing, heightening the dramatic aspects of the music. I have a few recordings of this piece but was never familiar enough with the music. He told me after the concert that he improvised a bit in these pieces, a fact not surprising to me.

Following the Frescobaldi were three Couperin harpsichord pieces played by Yuko Tanaka, her only solo moments of the concert. The three pieces are selections from the 15th ordre. The first piece La régente ou la Minerve is a typical French harpsichord work, filled with rich ornaments and dotted rhythms that radiates the sense of regality, as the title suggests. The second piece, Le dodo ou l'amour au berceau, depicts a sleeping Cupid. This absolutely beautiful and sweet piece was easily my favorite among the three. The last one L'evaporée is a fast piece to show off technical chops. Tanaka didn't seem quite at ease with the last piece as she did in the first two though. Overall, her playing of Couperin was very enjoyable, and I am happy to be introduced to Couperin pieces that I was previously unaware of.

The second half resumed with viola da gamba works of the later Baroque, starting with one of Couperin's gamba suites. Those who know Couperin mainly from his keyboard works may find this an oddity. It's true that Couperin didn't compose a lot for the gamba and does not understand the instrument as well as Marais or St. Colombe. However, Couperin's understanding of the French music idiom is unquestioned, and John states in the program notes that they rank among the finest written for the instrument. John's treatment of the music demonstrates why.

The concert closes with the Germans, after going through Italian and French gamba music. Kuhnel and J.S. Bach represent German composers one generation apart. Kuhnel's partita is deep-rooted in the French tradition, having studied there as teenager. However, Kuhnel adds that touch of German orderliness to his music. It is this style in the grand scheme of things that Bach was the emerge out of decades later.

A gamba concert omitting J.S. Bach's gamba sonatas is hard to justify, and rightfully, this was the last piece of the night. It is interesting to note that Bach wrote Italian-style sonatas for the often French- associated gamba, while he wrote French-style suites for the Italian-associated cello. The third suite, BWV 1029 is the only one that employs a "fast–slow–fast" three movement structure, prompting many scholars to suggest that it may be a transcription of a lost concerto. Immensely familiar with this piece, I looked forward to it. However, by this time, John might not have been at his best. His intonation and phrasing was getting sloppy, and it might not have been the best way to close out the concert. Nonetheless, this was night of spirited performances of a mix of famous and lesser-known pieces by John. That by itself, was a treat.